As Cabrillo Playhouse continues its reopening season with Home, I’m Darling, we sat down with director Hillary Pearson to talk about the show’s sharp humor, stylish world, and timely themes. In addition to directing the production, Hillary serves as president of the Cabrillo Playhouse board and has helped lead the theatre through its recent renovation and reopening. A UCLA theatre graduate with years of experience directing, teaching, and performing throughout Orange County, she brings both artistic insight and a strong connection to the local community.
What first drew you to Home, I’m Darling as a director?
When I first read the script, I was hooked by how real the characters felt and immediately engaged in their different journeys. I could see it coming to life page by page, and that was compelling to me. I also love the ’50s aesthetic, so the idea of crafting the world Judy has created for herself was very appealing. And the play features several strong female roles, which is not always the case in community theatre.
The play blends comedy with deeper emotional and social themes. What do you think makes that combination so effective?
I think the moments of laughter and awkwardness help us connect with the characters in a relatable way. Then, when those characters find themselves in difficult situations, we become more invested in what happens to them. When characters feel like real people, it allows us to connect their experiences to the world around us.
Even though the show is set in a very stylized 1950s-inspired world, it feels surprisingly modern. Why do you think audiences connect with it today?
The current “tradwife” trend on social media has brought renewed attention to the idea of traditional gender roles and romanticizing the way things “used to be.” At the same time, there has also been a backlash to that movement, so it’s very much part of today’s cultural conversation. One of the themes the play explores is fantasy versus reality: how much fantasy can become reality, and what is sacrificed or gained in pursuing it. I think that’s a very relatable question for audiences today.
The visual style of Home, I’m Darling is such a big part of the experience. What has it been like bringing that world to life on stage at Cabrillo?
Rehearsing on The Birds set was a bit of a dissonant experience at first because the aesthetic could not have been more different. But as we’ve added furniture, reconfigured the walls, and started painting, this colorful world has really begun to come to life. In addition to the visual design, it was also a wonderful experience selecting all of the pre-show, transition, and intermission music for the production. Each song either comments on the previous scene or helps set up the next one, almost like a television theme song introducing an episode. Each scene feels like a different “episode” of Judy’s life, so the music became an important part of the overall concept.